Malaysia: Implemented Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) including content moderation regulation

On 1 April 1999, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) including content moderation regulation entered into force. The Act is applicable to any licensee under the Act and any person who provides relevant facilities or services under the Act. The Act prohibits the provision of offensive content, which is defined as indecent, obscene, false, menacing or offensive content with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass a person. Emphasising the commitment to a responsible online environment, the Act mandates the creation of a Content Code. This Code is envisioned to define model procedures for addressing such offensive content. The Act outlines a non-exhaustive list of broadly defined categories for the Content Code. These include restrictions on unsuitable content, classification methods, procedures for handling public complaints, reporting complaint information to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), representation of Malaysian culture and national identity, public information and education on content regulation, and technologies for end-user control of content, among other community concerns.